Individual heat-tracing solutions...
... for renewable energies.
Climate protection is one of the political priorities of the European Union. Through the Paris Agreement on climate change, the EU member states have committed to achieving a number of defined climate targets. These include increasing the share of renewable energies to at least 27%, implementing stricter emission regulations and achieving neutral energy solutions.
Hydrogen is a colourless and odourless gas that is considered a key element of the transformation of the energy sector. It is a versatile energy vector that can be used to significantly reduce CO2 emissions, particularly in industry and in the transportation sector. Hydrogen is extremely flammable and is used in both liquid and gaseous states.
In its gaseous state, hydrogen has a relatively large volume at atmospheric pressure. However, to transport, store and use this gas for various energy applications, it must be either compressed, i.e. compressed under high pressure (over 350 bar), or converted into liquid form. While the compression of hydrogen is suitable for small storage quantities (e.g. for use in passenger cars), this is not an option for large volumes (e.g. storage tanks). In this case, liquification is the method of choice – to achieve this, hydrogen is cooled to a temperature of approximately -253°C. In this state, hydrogen is extremely cold. As liquid hydrogen has an 800 times smaller volume than in its gaseous state, larger volumes of hydrogen can be held in storage tanks. To minimise energy loss, large tanks or storage containers are equipped with (vacuum) insulation. *1
*1 (Information sheet on the compression and liquefaction of hydrogen, scientific
services of the German federal parliament - Deutscher Bundestag)
eltherm supplies customised heating solutions...
...for hydrogen applications.
There are various ways to produce hydrogen, one of which involves demineralizing water (e.g. from the drinking water supply or from open water sources) in a demineralisation plant and then electrochemically splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen in the electrolysis plant. During this process, the oxygen will be released into the atmosphere and the hydrogen compressed in several stages. In the lower pressure stages, the hydrogen is still ‘moist’.
All hydrogen lines that transport undried hydrogen in this production process require electric heat tracing to prevent frost damage to the piping system at low outside temperatures. This applies to the hydrogen lines leading from the electrolyser to the compressor, from the compressor to the storage tanks and from the storage tanks to the compensation tank as well as to the dryer and the transfer station to the local network.
Since hydrogen is highly explosive in combination with oxygen (oxyhydrogen), Ex-certified electrical equipment must be used in the entire production plant.
eltherm offers the full range of electric heat tracing systems required for frost protection. This includes consulting and engineering, as well as the configuration of the heating system, production of the required Ex-approved heating cables and heating jackets, and final installation, all from a single source!
- Prefabricated or customised individual solutions
- Ex-approved and certified (ATEX and IECEx) electrical heat tracing solution
FAQ
Climate-friendly, ‘green’ hydrogen can be produced by means of so-called electrolysis processes, which involve splitting water. In this process, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using weather-dependent electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.
As hydrogen is neither visible nor smellable and as it is highly flammable, the risk of explosion is particularly high. Thanks to Ex-approved systems, heat tracing solutions by eltherm provide the best possible protection.
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E-mail: info@eltherm.com
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